WASHINGTON (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration is expected to draw 1 million-plus to the capital, and already some lawmakers have stopped taking ticket requests and hotels have booked up.
Some people are bartering on Craigslist for places to stay for the Jan. 20 ceremony when the Illinois senator takes the oath of office. They are offering cash or even help with dishes for residents willing to open up their homes.
The National Park Service, which is planning for an inaugural crowd of at least 1 million, will clear more viewing space along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route. Jumbo TV screens will line the National Mall so people can watch the inauguration and parade, park service spokesman David Barna said Thursday.
The largest crowd was 1.2 million for Lyndon Johnson:
The inauguration has been designated a National Special Security Event, giving the U.S. Secret Service the lead in coordinating all law enforcement agencies to secure the event. There are 58 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together.
The largest crowd ever recorded on the National Mall was for President Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 inauguration. At the time, the park service estimated 1.2 million people descended on the area. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan's inauguration drew about 500,000 people, and President Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration drew about 800,000 people, according to park service estimates.
A lot of requests:
Congressional offices are reporting tens of thousands of requests for the 240,000 free tickets for the inauguration ceremony. As of Thursday, the office of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., had received 26,000 requests. Webb sent a letter Thursday to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who heads the Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee, requesting that Virginia's proximity to Washington be considered in its allotment.
Inauguration ticket sales on eBay banned.
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), today applauded eBay/StubHub for banning the sale of inaugural swearing-in ceremony tickets on any of its websites, including eBay, StubHub and Kijiji.
"I want to thank eBay/StubHub for not allowing the sale of inaugural swearing-in ceremony tickets on any of its websites,"Senator Feinstein said. "They have led the way and I hope other Internet companies will follow."
